


Low standards are the key to happiness

by 7iris



Category: The Used
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-02-23
Updated: 2008-02-23
Packaged: 2017-10-17 00:39:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/171032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7iris/pseuds/7iris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's all downhill from there, and Bert's underwear doesn't make it out alive.</p><p>But what Dan thinks about for days afterwards is the feeling of Jeph still and quiet underneath him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Low standards are the key to happiness

Jepha Howard is a fast motherfucker, but he makes the mistake of looking back over his shoulder. Dan puts on an extra burst of speed and lunges. He slams his shoulder into Jeph's back and they go down, skidding across the grass. Dan scrambles up Jeph's body, pinning him with an elbow between the shoulder blades and the weight of his own body, to wrestle his prize out of Jeph's grip.

"Ha HA!" he shouts waving Bert's dirty boxers in the air. "Victory is mine!"

For good measure, he leans in and bites Jeph's ear.

Just like that, all the fight goes out of Jeph. He gives a tiny little shudder and then he's loose and still under Dan.

They both pull in a sharp breath. Dan has just enough time to think _Wait, what?_ and then Bert flings himself elbows-first into the fray.

"Ow, Jesus, my kidneys!" Dan shrieks. "I need those to live, you fucker!"

It's all downhill from there, and Bert's underwear doesn't make it out alive.

But what Dan thinks about for days afterwards is the feeling of Jeph still and quiet underneath him.

He tries, but he can't figure out how to replicate the situation. Jumping on Jeph, wrestling him for the X-Box controller, acting like a jackass in general doesn't work; Jeph just laughs and pushes back.

He gets back on the bus one day, and Jeph and Quinn are sitting at the table with a newspaper and a Scrabble dictionary. Dan looks over Jeph's shoulder; they're trying to fill in a cross-word puzzle entirely with dirty words. They've been working on this for two days now. Dan threads his hand through Jeph's hair almost absently, scritching at his scalp, and Jeph lifts his chin a little, pushing into the touch without looking up from the paper. Maybe that's why Dan grabs a section of his hair and gives it a sharp tug.

Jeph's head goes back and Dan's hand slips down to cup the back of his neck. It's not exactly the same, but the tension under his palm is a faint echo of it, and Jeph's looking up at him with wide eyes.

His face feels hot all of the sudden. Dan drops his hand.

Quinn looks up from the dictionary and says, "Dude, you were totally right about duodenum. What word was I thinking of?"

Dan waves vaguely towards the bunks. "I'm gonna--" he says, and makes his escape.

In his bunk, Dan digs out his iPod and headphones, but he doesn't have time to put them on before Jeph is pushing the curtain back.

"Um--"

"We have to talk," Jeph says and climbs into his bunk.

It's hard as hell to squeeze two grown men into a bunk, and by the time they're settled, pressed up close together, Dan is giggling and has one hand fisted in Jeph's shirt to keep him from falling out.

"What is up with you lately?" Jeph asks, and Dan stops laughing.

He tries to look confused, but he thinks it comes off more as guilty.

Jeph makes a frustrated sound. "I just--what do you _want_?"

And just like that, Dan knows the answer to that question. He doesn't think about it, just leans in those last couple of inches and kisses Jeph. It's closed-mouthed at first, just a press of lips, and then Jeph opens up. Dan licks into his mouth, and Jeph brings one hand up to cup his cheek, delicate and careful.

He can feel the drag of Jeph's tongue piercing against the underside of his own tongue, and he suddenly wants to feel it on his cock. He can't help the sound he makes at that thought, and Jeph pulls back a little.

Dan blinks at him. "This," he says hoarsely. He's still clutching Jeph's shirt, and tugs on it a little. "This is what I want."

"Yeah?" Jeph says, smiling at him, like that was the answer he wanted.

"Yeah," Dan says, and they're kissing again, slow and messy and lazy, and he feels like they could do this all afternoon. Then Jeph shoves his thigh between Dan's legs, and all afternoon is out of the question.

He pulls Jeph in closer, one hand on the bare skin at the small of his back so they can grind up against each other like teenagers making out on their parents' couch. It's the middle of the day, they have sound-check in less than an hour, and he's pretty sure there's a Halo tournament going on in the back lounge, but he doesn't really care. He can feel Jeph smiling against his mouth like he's thinking the same thing.

Jeph shifts around a little so he can squirm on top of Dan.

"Seriously?" Dan whispers, and Jeph rolls his hips. "Yeah, okay."

Dan catches one of Jeph's snakebites between his teeth and tugs. Jeph makes a _noise_ , and maybe Dan cares a little about the Halo tournament.

"Shh," he hisses, and slides two fingers into Jeph's mouth.

Jeph meets his eyes and sucks.

Dan turns Jeph's head to the side, so he can lean up and bite him just below the jaw. Jeph's breath feathers out sharply across the back of his hand, and he's not moving anymore.

Dan's going to come in his pants--seriously, teenagers--but he's taking Jeph down first. He licks at the bite mark he left on Jeph's neck, and pushes his hips up. Jeph's breathing goes ragged and his eyes flutter shut. Dan pulls his fingers away from Jeph's mouth and kisses him. He runs his thumbnail over Jeph's nipple, and Jeph shudders all over and comes, collapsing against him. He presses his face into the curve of Dan's neck, and it only takes Dan a couple more thrusts before he's coming, too, one arm wrapped tight around Jeph's shoulders.

Later, on stage, Quinn gives Bert twenty bucks and takes his shirt off. The crowd whoops its approval, and Bert says, "This moment was made possible by Dan and Jepha," and turns around to give Dan an exaggerated kissy face.

Dan just laughs, and goes back to staring at Jeph's ass. If he plays his cards right, he's pretty sure he can see it naked tonight.


End file.
